An exhaustive list of books about getting ready for that very first day of school

Scared? Anxious? Excited? All normal feelings for a child entering a classroom for the very first time. Parents can help their child overcome these feelings by talking and sharing a good book or two (or ten).

Here's a list of picture books that might help young children (preschool to 2nd grade) get into the school mood (all titles link to descriptions):


Blue Goes to School by Angela C. Santomero and David B. Levy

Starting School by Allan Ahlberg and Janet Ahlberg

Welcome to Kindergarten by Anne Rockwell

The Twelve Days of Kindergarten: A Counting Book by Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis

My First Day at Nursery School by Becky Edwards and Anthony Flintoft

Maisy Goes to Preschool by Lucy Cousins

***D.W.'s Guide to Preschool by Marc Brown

Monsters Get Scared of School, Too by RH Disney, Melissa Lagonegro, and Atelier Philippe Harchy

Oh My Baby, Little One by Kathi Appelt and Jane Dyer

Vera's First Day of School by Vera Rosenberry

Mommy in My Pocket by Carol Hunt Senderak and Hiroe Nakata

***Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

I Love School! by Philemon Sturges and Shari Halpern

***Don't Go! by Jane Breskin Zalben

Sesame Street Ready for School by Jodie Shepherd and Christopher Moroney

Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready for School? by Barney Saltzberg

Kindergarten Countdown by Anna Jane Hays

Countdown to Kindergarten by Alison McGhee and Harry Bliss

My Kindergarten by Rosemary Wells

***The Berenstain Bears Go to School by Jan Berenstain and Stan Berenstain

Sesame Street: S Is for School by P. J. Shaw and Joe Mathieu

Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney

It's Your First Day of School, Annie Claire by Nancy White Carlstrom and Margie Moore

***Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes

First Day by Dandi Daley Mackall and Tiphanie Beeke

Spot Goes to School by Eric Hill

Kindergarten Rocks! by Katie Davis

Franklin Goes to School by Paulette Bourgeois and Brenda Clark

I Love You All Day Long by Francesca Rusackas and Priscilla Burris

When You Go to Kindergarten by James Howe and Betsy Imershein

The Night Before Kindergarten by Natasha Wing and Julie Durrell

My First Day of School by P. K. Hallinan

***David Goes To School by David Shannon

Clifford's First School Day by Norman Bridwell

Mouse's First Day of School by Lauren Thompson

Dora Goes to School by Leslie Valdes and Robert Roper

Annabelle Swift, Kindergartner >by Amy Schwartz

***Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg

My Teacher Sleeps in School by Leatie Weiss

Will I Have a Friend? by Miriam Cohen and Ronald Himler

How Do Dinosaurs Go To School? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague

Curious George's First Day of School by H. A. Rey

Marley Goes to School by John Grogan

***Little Critter: First Day of School by Mercer Mayer

Little School by Beth Norling

Little Rabbit Goes to School by Harry Horse

Froggy Goes to School by Jonathan London and Frank Remkiewicz

First Day, Hooray! by Nancy Poydar

***I Am Too Absolutely Small for School by Lauren Child

I Don't Want to Go Back to School by Marisabina Russo

I Don't Want to Go To School! by Stephanie Blake

***Mr. Ouchy's First Day by B. G. Hennessy and Paul Meisel

***Splat the Cat by Rob Scotton

Yellowbelly and Plum Go to School by Nathan Hale

19 Girls and Me by Darcy Pattison and Steven Salerno

Amelia Bedelia's First Day of School by Herman Parish and Lynne Avril

Jake Starts School by Michael Wright

Enrico Starts School by Charlotte Middleton

Lunch Bunnies by Kathryn Lasky and Marylin Hafner

***The Hair of Zoe Fleefenbacher Goes to School by Laurie Halse Anderson and Ard Hoyt

First Grade Stinks! by Mary Ann Rodman and Beth Spiegel

Ham and Pickles: First Day of School by Nicole Rubel

Brand-new Pencils, Brand-new Books by Diane Degroat

Keisha Ann Can! by Daniel Kirk

What a Day It Was at School! by Jack Prelutsky and Doug Cushman

First Grade, Here I Come! by Nancy Carlson

Off to First Grade by Louise Borden and Joan Rankin

***Little Miss Spider At Sunnypatch School by David Kirk

Off to School, Baby Duck! by Amy Hest and Jill Barton

The Night Before First Grade by Natasha Wing and Deborah Zemke

Chicken Chickens Go to School by Valeri Gorbachev

Yoko & Friends School Days: Mama, Don't Go! by Rosemary Wells and Jody Wheeler

It's Back To School We Go! by Ellen Jackson and Jan Davey Ellis

Seymour Slug Starts School by Carey Armstrong-Ellis

Tucker's Four-Carrot School Day by Susan Winget

Don't Eat the Teacher by Nick Ward

Little Bunny's Preschool Countdown by Maribeth Boelts and Kathy Parkinson

Sam and Gram and the First Day of School by George Ulrich

It's Time for School, Stinky Face by Lisa Mccourt and Cyd Moore

Timothy Goes to School by Rosemary Wells

Edward Unready for School by Rosemary Wells

Three-Star Billy by Pat Hutchins

Tiptoe Into Kindergarten by Jacqueline Rogers

Sumi's First Day of School Ever by Joung Un Kim and Soyung Pak

Penelope at School by Anne Gutman and Georg Hallensleben

Go Home, Mrs. Beekman! by Ann Stampler

Molly Rides the School Bus by Julie Brillhart

Corduroy Goes to School by Don Freeman

Go to School, Charlie Brown! by Charles M. Schulz and Judy Katschke

On the Way to Kindergarten by Virginia Kroll and Elizabeth Schlossberg

School by Emily Arnold Mccully

When An Elephant Comes To School by Jan Ormerod

----------------------------------------------------------------

Okay! I'm spent! Please add to this list with any first-experience-at-school stories in the comments!

Note:*** comes with a recommendation from me


For 3rd - 6th grade titles visit: Help elementary students get back in the school spirit with these books.

For more on calming the back to school jitters: NBC/Today Show article - Tips to calm your child's first day jitters.

Lists also published as National Reading Examiner.

Photo credit AP: Toby Tolbert
____________________________________________________________
© 2007-2009 Cheryl Vanatti for www.ReadingRumpus.com